Deal with the Devil
by Ishkie
Summary: Fred and Draco are forced to ask for loans from someone who doesn't like them much. And this person wants to make them fight for it. Oh, poor Hermione.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer, which I just realised I've forgotten on most (if not all) of my fics: I don't own Harry Potter. Yet.**

**Prologue**

Four years had passed since Potter had faced off against the Dark Lord for the final time, and four years had passed since his followers were rounded up and sent off to Azkaban. Four years since the Malfoys had been ruined.

Lucius had been killed, Narcissa had gone mad, and the "family fortune" was nonexistent. Draco, who had been a seventh year at the time, went from being the wealthiest student at Hogwarts to the poorest; and yes, that included the Weasleys. You see, he hadn't only lost the fortune, but there were enormous debts. And more than anything, _anything_, Draco Malfoy hated being poor.

Which brings us to the present.

Four years later.

Four terrible, _excruciating_ years later.

Draco Malfoy was standing outside of an enormous white marble building, hands in worn out pockets, about to ask a _Weasley _for money. A _Weasley_. In specific, Percy Constantine Weasley, man in charge of loans at Gringotts. It was his last hope, really. He _needed_ this loan.

* * *

Four years had passed since Harry had faced off against You-Know-Who for the final time, and four years had passed in which people lost their sense of humour. Well, that was how Fred rationalised it; why else would Weasley's Wizard Wheezes go out of business? 

Not only did it go out of business, but it crashed, burned, and became a large pile of debts. It had been going so well, and then…Well, they had made some mistakes. Big mistakes. Mistakes that were the equivalent of business homicide, apparently. If only someone had told them that before they had gone out and _done _the blasted things!

Fred and George had no money to get it going again, and they could hardly ask any of their family members for money. Well, they _could_, technically, and were planning on it. They just didn't think of Percy as family much any more.

Which brings us to the present.

Four years later.

Four terrible, _excruciating_ years later.

Fred Weasley was standing outside of an enormous marble building, hands in worn out pockets, about to ask _Percy _for money. _Percy_. In specific, his estranged git of a brother, man in charge of loans at Gringotts. It was his last hope, really. He _needed_ this loan.

* * *

As these two men waited for their appointment, Percy sat behind a large marble desk in his large marble office in the large marble building, playing with a quill and grinning madly. What a _pity_ he was only authorised to give out one more loan this quarter. Well, they would just have to prove to him which of the two wanted it most, and Percy C. Weasley had a cunning plan. 

It involved a certain Hermione Granger.

**A/N: Had to re-upload the beginning because it didn't have the breaks, which was confusing. Anyhoo, big bonus points if someone knows why Percy's middle name is Constantine. And no, it has nothing to do with the movie/comic book. Ho hum. **

**Haven't decided whether this is mainly Fremione or Dramione yet. Probably a bit of both (but not at the same time). Tell me which you prefer, in a REVIEW? Hint. :-D**


	2. Percy's Poor Pathetic Pawns

**Chapter 1**

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley will see you now," said a dour little goblin. "And you, Mr. Malfoy." Draco looked up at Fred, slightly startled and a bit annoyed.

"Surely he would rather see us one at a ti-"

"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Weasley will see you know," said the goblin, looking up its long nose at him in distaste. Draco shrugged and strolled to the office entrance with Fred behind him. Fred wasn't pleased at all; invariably Percy had devised some way to torture him.

As the two men entered Percy's office the large door behind them slammed shut, and a bolt fell in to place.

"Pardon the precaution," Percy said as he waved his hand at the door, "Standard procedure. Now then. Please sit." He gestured at the two seats in front of him.

"Percy, good to see you, brother dearest!" Fred said, trying to look as enthusiastic as possible. Percy glared at him icily.

"I'm sure. Please sit," he repeated. Fred sat. This didn't look like it was going to be fun at all.

"Now," Percy said, breaking into a malicious smile, "I believe we have finances to discuss."

_Percy, you bloody gremlin_, Fred thought viciously.

"Aren't finances more of a personal matter?" Malfoy asked, looking pointedly at Fred. He was just aching to make a money joke, but it was hardly appropriate given his current situation. _A Weasley in a bank? That's_…He sighed inwardly. He couldn't even do it in his head.

"Not where this case is concerned. You see, the bank has had a spot of trouble with loans and their failure to be repaid. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem," _because we'll get it from them eventually _seemed to go unsaid, "but some people seem to be asking for more than their assets are worth. It's a losing proposition. Therefore I'm only allowed to give a certain amount of high-risk loans a quarter." Neither Fred nor Draco liked where this was going. Percy sat behind his desk, fingers steepled under his chin. He appeared to be waiting for one of them to ask what this meant, but neither of them would rise to the bait.

"I'll just continue, shall I?" he asked. Fred resisted the urge to growl at him, and it didn't look like Draco was faring much better. "It means," he started again, looking very much like the incarnation of evil, "That only one of you can receive the loan. After reviewing your files it's obvious both of you are high-risk, and, in a stroke of _incredible_ ill fortune, I've already come very near my loan quota. _Terribly_ sorry." He didn't look sorry at all.

"I see," said Draco carefully, fingers around his wand tightening convulsively.

"Well, it's hardly a choice, is it?" Fred asked indignantly. "I'm your brother! You know very well that I wouldn't go back on a loan like that!"

"Since you are my brother I know very well that you probably will," Percy said icily. "At least Mr. Malfoy here has had some experience handling large sums of money." Fred looked like a fish out of water, gasping for air. Draco smirked.

"I'm your _flesh and blood_, your _family,_ how can you say that?" Fred asked, completely stunned.

"It takes more than flesh and blood to make family," Percy said stonily. "And, since I'm in charge of this loan, I've decided it will go to-"

"You can't pick the git!" Fred burst out. Draco narrowed his eyes.

"Shut your mouth, Weasley twin, he can do whatever he bloody well wants."

"I never said that I was going to pick the git," Percy said, cutting in. Both of them stared at him while he smiled pompously.

"What are you going to do then?" Fred asked after a moment.

"I'm going to pick the person that wants it most."

"That would be me," Draco cut in smoothly, not bothering to look at Fred.

"Oh like hell!" Fred said, glaring at Malfoy.

"Now now, boys," Percy said, looking ridiculously pleased with himself. "I have devised a plan." Both of them became very quiet. Percy waited another moment for suspense, in which one could have heard a pin drop if they had cared to listen (or if someone had dropped a pin). "The plan is simple. Three evenings ago I ran in to a rather lovely Ms. Granger, who was having dinner with her current beau."

"What does this have to do with either Hermione or Ron?" Fred asked, surprised.

"Well," Percy continued, shooting a quelling look at Fred, "Ms. Granger had the gall to lead a Ministry investigation of corruption at Gringotts, and the youngest Mr. Weasley is an obnoxious brat that I'm ashamed to say I'm related to."

_I'm sure the feeling is mutual,_ Fred thought, trying his hardest not to look disgusted. He knew that Percy had changed, but he had no idea how much. It was getting to the point where he wouldn't be surprised if his older brother was a Death Eater; he was certainly ambitious and evil enough. It was a good thing You-Know-Who wasn't around anymore.

Draco, however, was smiling.

"I see," he said slowly, leaning back in his chair. The gracing his pale, pointy features, looked malicious. Fred simply looked at Percy, waiting for him to continue.

"As it seems Mr. Malfoy has already figured out, I have a bit of a competition for you. Whoever can get Ms. Granger to declare her undying love for them first gets the loan. I believe whoever wants it most should win."

Fred was surprised, he had a feeling something like this was going to come up, but this seemed almost too easy. After all, Hermione hated Malfoy. Almost as though Percy was reading his mind, he continued. Fred was getting awfully sick of him stopping and continuing, it was getting quite annoying.

"This is a quite fair competition, in my opinion. After all, if Ms. Granger stops fancying the one Weasley it is doubtful that she'll be too anxious to get involved with another one," his eye twitched and Fred's heart sank, "And yet I can't imagine she would ever be too anxious to get involved with anyone in the Malfoy family."

Draco didn't seem to be very perturbed, however. He knew that he wasn't the best looking, too pointy, scrawny, and pale, but he wasn't horrible either. And he was, after all, a master manipulator. Seven years in Slytherin house would do that to you.

Of course, he only had a vague notion of what he was up against. Fred and George had written the book on scheming, (quite literally; a pity it hadn't been a top seller), and they would do anything to win a challenge. Then again, Fred didn't want to hurt his little brother, but he figured that after he was done he would break the truth to Hermione gently, and she would go back to Ron. No harm done, right?

"Why this?" he asked. "Aren't there more…by the book methods for loans?" Fred was rarely in favor of 'by the book' methods, but this was ridiculous. He had no idea where Percy had picked up this vindictive streak. Ambitious, yes, even to the sake of forsaking his family…but this was cruel.

Percy's eye twitched again. "There are, but I am in charge of loans. You can rest assured there are no rules or regulations against my methods of choosing who is worthiest." Fred couldn't help himself; he snorted.

"Worthy has nothing to do with it and you know it. You just want to see us squirm. You just want someone to control. Ever since you left the Ministry you haven't been-"

"Do not speak of it!" Percy said, eye twitching. He seemed to be developing a bit of a tic. "You can take the challenge or leave it. Your choice."

"I, for one, am ready to prove my worth," Draco cut in smoothly. Fred bit his tongue, hard, to stop from making a very lewd comment.

"Right," Fred said through gritted teeth.

"Goodbye, gentlemen. Let the games begin," Percy said, leaning back in his chair. Fred and Draco stood up, waited by the door as it unlocked itself, and strode out of the room.

"Malfoy, may the best man win," Fred said, trying to be amiable.

"That isn't how it works, Weasley," Draco replied with a sneer. "That isn't how it works."

**A/N: I just needed a chapter to set things up, sorry it isn't very interesting.I wanted to add the first interaction with Hermione, but it would have taken even longer and I just wanted to get it out. And I couldn't get a beta for this, so there might be mistakes...and sorry if it's OOC for any of them, I needed to bend them a bit to get my plot to work. Please review! (also, is anyone interested in being a beta for this, or all, of my fics?)**


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